Truck-ladder.



No. 787,982. PATENTED APR. 25, 1905. T. HAINBS.

TRUCK LADDER. I

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 787,982. PATRNTRD APR. 25, 1905. T. HAINRS.

TRUCK LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1| 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

M., Attoneys.

Patented April 25, 1905.

FFICEo THOMAS HAIN'ES, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TRUCK-LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 787,982, dated April 25, 1905.

Application filed February 1,1904. Serial No. 191.414.

10 (LU 'uf/mnt if muy cm1/007%:

Be it known that I, TrioMAs I-lAINEs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Truck Ladders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to truck-lzulders, and especially' to truck-hulders for [ire-department service, and has foi: its principal objects to improve the mechanism for manipulation of the ladders by means of fluid-pressure apparatus, to provide manipulating means that will set and hold the ladders rigidly when raised, to provide an improved apparatus for raising the ladders with respect to each other, to provide elevating and lowering means for the ladders, and other objects hereinafter more fully appearing.

My invention consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying' drawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur, Figure l is a side view of my improved truck-ladder. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a side View thereof with the ladders elevated. Fig. i is a front view of the ladders to show the rope-and-pulley arrangements for raising the ladders with respect to each other. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view, on a slightly-reduccd scale,otl the parts shown in Fig. 1L; and Fig. (S is a sectional view on the line 6 (j of Fig. 3.

My improved truck-ladder l is mounted upon a truck 2 of any suitable construction. lt is not limited in its use to the truck shown in the accompanying drawings, but may be mounted upon a truck of any style and having any size.

'l`he truck-hulder l is mounted upon a turntable 3, which turns in a circular opening in a base-plate i on the truck. To the bottom of the turn-table 3 a worm-wheel 5 is secured and meshes with a worm 6 on a shaft 7, mounted in the base-plate i. By means of a handwheel S on the shaft T the turn-table may be turned in a horizontal plane to any position. Bearing-standards 9 .lO are mounted on the turn-table 3 and are provided with bearings ll l2 for the spindle I3, upon which the ladder is mounted. The ladder l consists of three relatively movable sections la 15 16, in the lirst of which the spindle 13 is mounted. Upon the lower rear portions of the bearingstandards 9 l0 are bearings 1T 18 for a spindie l9,upon which the luider-elevating frames Q0 2i are mounted. The elevating-frames are substantially triangular in elevation, the sides standing substantially vertically and horizontally when the ladder is in its reclining position. being substantially at right angles to each other. Each of the frames is provided with a slot 22 upon theside opposite the angle at which it is pivoted. Rollers extend into the slots Q2 and are mounted upon a shaft Qi on the ladder-section l. Preferably ballbearings are interposed between the rollers .23 and the shaft 24.

Between the bearing-standards 9 lO are two other standards 25 26, suitably spaced apart and having bearings in the upper portions. A cylinder 27 is provided with trunnions 2S, which are liournaled in the bearings of the standards 25 Q6. The heads of the cylinder are provided with nipples 25 30 and cocks 3l 32, respectively. The nipples are adapted for thc connection of iiexible tubes 33 3i, leading from a pipe 35, mounted on the turntable. The pipe 35 is provided with cocks 3G 3Tnearits ends and intermediate of the cocks with a nipple 38, to which a flexible tube 3%., leading' from a compressed -air reservoir 40, connected. fithn the cylinder is a piston of ordinary form, the pistou-rod Il of which extends through the rear head of the cylinder. Links 42 L3 are connected at one end to the piston-rod and at the other end tothe forward upper corner of the elevating-frames Q0 21, respectively.

lhe mechanism thus far described operates as follows: When the ladder is in its reclining position, as shown in Fig. l, the piston is at the rear end of the cylinder. The cocks 3Q and 36 are closed andthe cocks 3l and 3T opened. Air is thus admitted at the rear of the piston and forces it forwardly, the air in front of the piston escaping through the open cock 31 in the forward head of the cylinder. As the piston and piston-rod 41 move forward the links 42 43 are carried along and transmit the force to the elevating-frames 2O 21. These frames turn about their pivot points, thus carry ing their slots 22 forwardly and changing their inclination. This results in the elevation of the ladder as the rollers 23 roll up in the slot until they reach the opposite ends of the slots 22, as shown in Fig. 3. The connection with the compressed-air reservoir may now be maintained, or the cock 37 may be closed. In either case the piston is held in its foremost position by air under pressure, and the ladder is firmly held in its upright position. When it is desired to lower the ladder, cocks 3l and 37 are closed, and cocks 32 and 36 are opened. The piston will thus be forced rearwardly, and the reverse movement of parts will occur.

The arrangement for raising the ladder-sections with respect to each other will now be described.

At the lower end of the ladder-section 14 a shaft 44 is mounted. Upon it is a windingdrum 45;, and it is provided with cranks 46 47 at its opposite ends. A ratchet-wheel 48 is mounted on the shaft 44 adjacent one side bar of the ladder-section, and a cooperating pawl 49 is pivotally mounted on the said side bar. A pulley 50 is mounted upon the top round of the ladder section 14. Pulleys 51 52 are mounted upon the bottom and top rounds, respectively, of the ladder-section 15. A rope 53 is secured at one end to the winding-drum 45, passes over the pulley 50, down to the pulley 51, up to the pulley 52, and then is secured to the lower round of the ladder-section 16. L-shaped guides 54 55 are mounted on the ladder-section 14 for the ladder-section 15, and similar guides 56 57 are mounted on the ladder-section 15 for the ladder -section 16. These guides project over the fronts of their respective ladders. At the bottom of the ladder-section 16 is a bar 58, which will engage the guides 56 when the said section is at its highest position with respect to the ladder-section. The ladder-section 15 has a similar bar 59, which will engage the guides 54 when the said section is at its highest position with respect to the ladder-section 14. When the drum 45 is rotated to wind up the rope 53, the laddersection 16 will be raised first, as it is lighter than the ladder-section 15. iVhen, however,the ladder-section 16 has moved upwardly until its bar 58 engages the guides 56, further movement with respect to the ladder-section 15 will be stopped. Then the ladder-section 15 will begin to move upwardly with respect to the ladder-section 14, taking the ladder-section 16 i with it, of course. At its uppermost position the bar 59 will strike the guides 54, and the ladder will be held in this position, the ratchet and pawl preventing its running down. The usual automatic catches for the ladders may be provided in addition; but they are not necessary.

A bar 60 upon the ladder-section 14 serves to support the ladder-section 15 when in its lowermost position, and the bar 59 on the ladder-section 15 serves to support the ladder-section 16 when in its lowermost position. Stops 61 and 62 are provided to limit the oscillation of the cylinder 27 to a small angle.

Obviously my device admits of considerable modification, and thereforeI do not wish to be limited to the specific construction shown and described.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A truck-ladder comprising a platform, a ladder pivotally mounted thereon, rollers mounted on said ladder rearward of "its pivotpoint, pivoted ladder-elevating frames having slots for cooperation with said rollers, an ac-4 tu ating-cylinder mounted on said platform and provided with a piston an'd piston-rod, and means operatively connecting said piston-rod and said ladder-elevating frames.

2. A truck-ladder comprising a platform, a ladder pivotally mounted thereon, ladder-elevating frames pivoted on said platform and each provided with a slot substantially parallel with said ladder in its lowered position, rollers on said ladder and engaging said slots, respectively, near the vertical plane through the pivot of said elevating-frames when said ladder is in its lowered position, and means to actuate said elevating-frames to raise said ladder.

3. A truck-ladder comprising a platform, a ladder pivotally mounted thereon, ladder-elevating frames pivoted on said platform and each provided with a slot substantially parallel with said ladder in its lowered position, rollers on said ladder engaging said slots, respectively, near the vertical plane through the pivot of said elevating-frames when said ladder is in its lowered position, and an actuating Huid-pressure cylinder mounted on said platform and operatively connected to said elevating-frames to actuate the same and raise said ladder.

4. A truck-ladder comprising a platform, a ladder pivotally mounted thereon, ladder-elevating frames pivoted on said platform and each provided with a slot substantially parallel with said ladder in its lowered position, projections on said ladder extending into said slots, respectively, and engaging said frames near the vertical plane of their pivots when IOO IIO

izo

Said ladder is in its lowered position, a `fluidpressure cylinder mounted on said platform, and a piston and piston-rod therein operatively connected with said elevating-frames at points lying in a plane through their pivotpoints approximately perpendicular to the direction of said piston-rod.

In testimony whereot` I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOS. HAINES. lVitnesses:

FRED F. REISNER, J'. B. M neowN. 

